DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. (DWA) is an American animation studio based in Glendale, California, that creates animated feature films, television programs and online virtual worlds. The studio has released a total of 31 feature films, including the franchises of Shrek, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, How to Train Your Dragon, Monsters vs. Aliens, and The Croods. As of November 2014, its feature films have grossed $12.9 billion worldwide, with a $419 million average gross per film. Shrek 2 and Shrek the Third are among the 50 highest-grossing films of all time, and fifteen of the films are among the 50 highest-grossing animated films, with Shrek 2 being the seventh all-time highest. Although the studio also made traditionally animated films in the past, as well as a co-production with Aardman Animations, all of their films now use computer animation. The studio has so far received three Academy Awards, as well as 22 Emmy and numerous Annie Awards, as well as multiple Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations. In recent years, the animation studio has acquired and created new divisions in an effort to diversify the high-risk movie business. The studio was formed by the merger of the feature animation division of DreamWorks and Pacific Data Images (PDI). Originally formed under the banner of DreamWorks in 1997 by some of Amblin Entertainment's former animation branch Amblimation alumni, it was spun off into a separate public company in 2004. DreamWorks Animation currently maintains its Glendale campus, as well as satellite studios in India and China. Films produced by DreamWorks Animation were formerly distributed worldwide by the live-action DreamWorks, then by Paramount Pictures, a subsidiary of Viacom, who acquired the live-action DreamWorks studio in February 2006, and spun it off again in 2008. In 2013, 20th Century Fox, a subsidiary of 21st Century Fox, took over distribution of DreamWorks Animation films starting in 2013 with The Croods and onwards. History DreamWorks SKG On October 12, 1994, a trio of entertainment players, director and producer Steven Spielberg, music executive David Geffen, and former Disney executive Jeffrey Katzenberg, founded DreamWorks SKG. The studio attracted many artists from Spielberg's animation studio Amblimation. They first joined in 1995, when the last feature was completed, and the rest came in 1997, when the studio had shut down. In 1995, DreamWorks signed a co-production deal with Pacific Data Images to form subsidiary PDI, LLC (PDI owned 60% of PDI, LLC, while DreamWorks SKG owned 40%). This new unit would produce computer-generated feature films, beginning with Antz in 1998. In the same year, DreamWorks SKG produced The Prince of Egypt, which used both CGI technology and traditional animation techniques. In 1997, DreamWorks partnered with Aardman Animations, a British stop-motion animation studio, to co-produce and distribute Chicken Run, a stop-motion film already in pre-production. Two years later, they extended the deal for an additional four films. With Aardman doing stop-motion, they covered all three major styles, besides traditional and computer animation. This partnership had DreamWorks participating in the production of stop-motion films in Bristol, and also had Aardman participating in some of the CGI films made in the United States. Public corporation The animation division was spun off into a publicly traded company named DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. on October 27, 2004. Katzenberg headed the new division, while Spielberg and Geffen remained on board as investors and consultants. DWA also inherited interests in PDI/DreamWorks. They made an agreement with their former parent to distribute all of their films until they deliver twelve new films, or December 12, 2010, whichever came last. On January 31, 2006, DWA entered into a distribution agreement with Paramount Pictures, which acquired DWA's former parent and distribution partner, DreamWorks SKG. The agreement granted Paramount the worldwide rights to distribute all animated films, including previously released films, until the delivery of 13 new animated feature films, or December 31, 2012, whichever came last. Diversification and expansion In July 2012, DreamWorks Animation won a $155 million bid to acquire Classic Media, which has since been renamed DreamWorks Classics. In August 2012, DreamWorks Animation formed a joint venture with Chinese investment companies to establish a Shanghai-based entertainment company, named Oriental DreamWorks, to develop and produce original Chinese films and their derivatives. According to a Los Angeles Times report, DreamWorks Animation was in talks with Sony Pictures to distribute its upcoming films, such as The Croods and Turbo. The report also mentioned a possibility where Sony would handle the United States distribution while 20th Century Fox would handle the international distribution. Renewal of the deal with Paramount was also open, but only with more favorable terms for Paramount. In August 2012, DreamWorks Animation signed a five-year distribution deal with 20th Century Fox for both domestic and international markets. However, the deal did not include the distribution rights of previously released films, which DWA acquired from Paramount later in 2014. Rise of the Guardians was the last DreamWorks Animation film to be distributed by Paramount Pictures, and The Croods became the first DreamWorks Animation film to be distributed by 20th Century Fox. Films 2D-Animated films Stop-Motion films Note: All Stop-Motion films were produced by Aardman Animations. Computer-Animated films Themes Although the studio made traditionally animated films about serious subjects earlier, most of their computer-generated films and television series have now gained the studio a reputation for being focused on popular culture and satire, although their most significant successes in recent years have been more story-driven and had more universal themes. PDI merge The studio was formed by the merger of the feature animation division of DreamWorks and Pacific Data Images (PDI). Originally formed under the banner of DreamWorks SKG, it was spun off into a separate public company in 2004. Thus, DreamWorks Animation maintains two campuses: the original DreamWorks feature animation studio in Glendale, California and the PDI studio in Redwood City, California. In January, 2015, DreamWorks closed the Redwood City PDI Studio, laying offnearly all the employees there. The studio is said to be offering some of the artists in the northern California facility an opportunity to relocate to the southern DreamWorks campus in Glendale, California."Massive Layoffs at DreamWorks Animation". Big Cartoon News, January 24, 2015 Partnerships HP DreamWorks Animation has an on-going partnership with HP, and the studio exclusively uses HP workstations and servers. Carmike Cinemas In 2003, Carmike Cinemas signed a 3-year deal to provide processors to the studio. This relationship ended in 2008, and DreamWorks announced they will use Intel processors for future productions. References Category:Companies